UBMMWPmOETOH 


APR  3  1993 


theological  seminary 


5  4 

I  \  V  | 


# 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2019  with  funding  from 
Princeton  Theological  Seminary  Library 


https://archive.org/details/manualforcommuniOOmill 


Manual 

for 

Communicants’  Classes 


Prepared  at  the  Direction  of  the 
General  Assembly 


By 

J.  R.  Miller 


Revised  Edition 

With  Suggestions  and  Review  Questions 

b  y 

Gerrit  Verkuyl 


Philadelphia 

Presbyterian  Board  of  Publication  and 
Sabbath-School  Work 

1923 


Copyrighted,  1913 

Presbyterian  Board  of  Publication  and 
Sabbath  School  Work 


•VI! 


Contents 


PAGE 


Preface .  5 

Suggestions  to  Leaders .  6 

To  the  Student .  9 


LESSON  I 

What  Christ  Is  to  Us .  II 


(4 


LESSON  II 

What  It  Is  to  Be  a  Christian .  17 

LESSON  III 

Helps — Means  of  Grace .  22 

LESSON  IV 

Why  Unite  with  the  Church? .  30 

LESSON  V 

Duties  of  a  Church  Member .  36 

LESSON  VI 

The  Lord’s  Supper .  42 

Questions  and  Suggestions .  49 


%  7  ^ 


preface 


IT  is  very  important  that  those  uniting 
with  the  Church  should  do  so  intelli¬ 
gently.  A  single  talk  of  a  few  minutes 
with  the  pastor  and  session  is  not  suffi¬ 
cient  for  the  instruction  necessary.  Many 
pastors,  recognizing  this,  are  accustomed  to 
meet  candidates  for  admission  to  the  Church 
a  number  of  times  before  receiving  them  to 
the  Communion,  in  order  to  make  clear  to 
them  the  meaning  of  the  step  they  are 
taking,  and  to  instruct  them  concerning 
the  duties  of  church  membership.1 

The  General  Assembly,  at  its  meeting  in 
1904,  in  response  to  many  requests,  directed 
its  Committee  on  the  Forward  Movement 
in  Christian  Education,  to  prepare  a 
manual  for  candidates  for  church  mem¬ 
bership.  This  little  book  has  been  prepared 
after  much  conference  with  pastors.  It  is 


1  Another  little  book,  "lu  ijia  &tppa.”  has  been  prepared 
by  the  writer  to  put  into  the  hands  of  those  who  have  united 
with  the  Church,  with  suggestions  as  to  the  beginning  of  the 
Christian  life. 


6 


Suggestions  to  UeaberS 


thought  that  six  lessons  will  serve  the 
purpose  better  than  a  larger  number  would 
do,  as  it  will  not  be  found  practicable  in 
most  cases  to  make  the  course  longer.  It 
will  be  understood  that  the  lessons  are 
presented  only  as  outlines  which  pastors 
will  elaborate  at  their  own  pleasure. 

J.  R.  M. 


g>ugtjtstions  to  HeabenS 

Although  this  manual  is  excellently 
paragraphed  and  subdivided,  so  that  the 
pastors  and  teachers  who  use  it  with 
pupils  that  are  about  to  unite  with  the 
Church  are  not  themselves  in  need  of  direc¬ 
tions,  it  will  prove  most  helpful  for  the 
pupils  to  have  the  appended  questions  and 
suggestions  in  the  preparation  of  their 
lessons. 

It  is  taken  for  granted  that  each  teacher 
will  add  such  directions  as  seem  helpful, 
and  will  alter  wherever  improvement  may 
be  made.  The  main  thing  is  that  the 


Suggestions;  to  Headers 


7 


students  shall  have  some  idea  of  how  to 
master  the  contents  of  these  lessons.  With 
few  exceptions  they  do  not  know  this, 
except  as  we  make  it  clear  to  them. 

It  is  barely  possible  that  the  class  will 
memorize  all  the  Scripture  passages  that 
are  mentioned  within  the  lessons;  but  it 
is  not  likely.  They  probably  have  a  few 
other  things  to  do  during  the  week  besides 
preparing  for  this  class  work.  It  is  worth 
while  encouraging  them  to  do  this;  but 
success  is  more  likely  to  be  secured  by 
assigning  only  those  verses  that  contain 
the  essential  teachings  most  clearly  and 
succinctly.  For  that  purpose  a  few  such 
are  appended  to  each  lesson. 

In  order  to  induce  the  members  of  the 
class  to  think  for  themselves,  it  is  helpful 
to  present  to  them  occasional  questions, 
the  answers  to  which  are  not  found  in  the 
manual.  It  is  hoped  that  besides  the  few 
here  given,  the  class  leader  will  make  out 
some  of  his  own.  It  would  be  quite  in 
place,  also,  for  each  student  to  write  one 
essay  of  about  four  hundred  words  on  an 
assigned  topic,  or  on  a  topic  of  his  own 


8 


Suggestions  to  HeaberS 


choice.  The  few  topics  given  at  the  close 
are  suggestive  merely. 

A  written  examination  at  the  close  of 
these  studies  may  be  held  if  the  leader 
deems  it  wise;  the  questions  being  selected 
from  among  those  used  in  the  weekly 
studies.  It  is  generally  better,  however, 
to  review  the  work  well  in  class,  to  keep 
watch  over  each  student’s  personal  grasp 
of  the  things  studied,  and  at  the  end  to 
have  private  personal  interviews  with  all. 

G.  V. 


QTo  tfjc  ^tubent 


THIS  manual,  the  six  lessons  of  which 
you  are  about  to  study,  was  written 
by  a  believer  in  Jesus  Christ  who 
thoroughly  understood  boys  and  girls  and 
deeply  loved  them.  Dr.  Miller,  who  has 
now  gone  to  heaven,  was  not  merely  a 
great  preacher  and  author,  but  he  was 
above  all  a  loving  companion.  Nothing 
lay  closer  to  his  heart  than  the  hope  that 
he  might  help  boys  and  girls  to  grow  into 
strong,  clean  Christian  men  and  women; 
and  with  that  purpose  in  mind  he  wrote 
this  little  book. 

You  will  notice  that  each  of  the  six 
lessons  has  its  main  divisions  indicated  by 
words  in  heavy  type.  To  look  up  and 
memorize  those  heavy-typed  words  through 
the  whole  lesson  before  you  try  to  read  it 
all,  will  help  you.  This  will  give  you  the 
outline  of  the  lesson.  After  that  you  may 
master  each  paragraph  separately. 

In  the  study  of  these  paragraphs  you 


10 


tf )t  &tubent 


may  consult  the  questions  that  relate  to 
each  chapter,  if  you  find  that  it  helps  you 
to  do  so.  These  questions  point  out  the 
leading  thoughts  of  the  lesson.  When 
you  are  able  to  answer  them  in  your  own 
mind  you  have  caught  the  meaning  of  what 
you  have  studied,  and  you  will  be  able  to 
remember  it  more  easily. 

If  you  find  that  you  cannot  learn  all  the 
texts,  memorize  the  verses  given  at  the 
end  of  each  set  of  questions.  They  will 
help  you  through  your  whole  life. 

One  essay  of  about  four  hundred  words, 
on  a  subject  that  interests  you  most  in 
these  studies,  may  be  prepared  on  some 
Sunday  afternoon.  This  will  help  you  to 
think  for  yourself. 


ittanual 

for  Communicants’  Classes 


Xcstfon  (^ne 

©Hbat  Ctjrifit  3te  to 

WHEN,  as  little  children,  we  were 
presented  to  God  in  baptism,  that 
implied  that  already  we  belonged 
to  him  and  that  throughout  our  lives 
Christ  is  willing  to  be  our  Friend.  Now 
the  time  has  come  for  us  to  express  our 
own  faith  in  him,  by  personally  accepting 
Christ  as  our  Saviour  and  Lord,  and  by 
confessing  him  before  men.  Such  an  ex¬ 
pression  of  our  faith  is  fully  as  needful, 
if  we  have  not  yet  been  baptized ;  for  then 
it  will  be  the  first  public  acknowledgment 
of  our  relation  to  God. 

It  is  important  that  we  clearly  under¬ 
stand  what  Christ  is  to  us,  and  what  he 
does  for  us.  When  we  say  that  we  accept 
Christ,  what  do  we  mean?  We  take  him  as 


12 


Jfclanual  for 


I.  <^ur  £5>at)U)Ur.  This  implies  that  we 
need  a  Saviour.  We  all  have  sinned. 
Rom.  3  :  23.  The  holiest  person  who  ever 
lived  needs  Christ.  Jesus  says,  “He  that 
believeth  not  hath  been  judged  already.’' 
John  3  :  18.  From  the  beginning  to  the 
end,  the  Bible  teaches  that  there  can  be 
no  forgiveness  without  atonement,  and 
that  Christ  was  the  Lamb  of  God  who  took 
away  the  sin  of  the  world.  John  I  :  29; 
Eph.  1  :  7;  Heb.  9  :  22. 

When  the  birth  of  Jesus  was  foretold, 
the  angel  said,  “Thou  shalt  call  his  name 
Jesus;  for  it  is  he  that  shall  save  his  people 
from  their  sins.”  Matt.  1  :  21.  He  saves 
us  from  our  sins,  first,  by  bearing  them  and 
freeing  us  from  condemnation.  Rom.  8  :  1. 
He  delivers  us  also  from  the  power  of  sin 
by  putting  his  Holy  Spirit  into  us,  to  give  us 
a  new  heart,  to  make  us  children  of  God, 
and  to  enable  us  to  resist  sin  and  tempta¬ 
tion.  Then  he  saves  us,  also,  by  delivering 
us  from  the  hurt  of  sin,  and  from  its  evil 
effects  in  our  life  and  character.  I  John 
I  :  9. 

Our  part  is  to  repent  of  our  sms  and 


Communicants’  Classes 


13 


leave  them,  and  to  believe  on  Christ,  com¬ 
mitting  ourselves  to  him,  not  only  for 
pardon  and  cleansing,  but  also  for  life  and 
service.  Then  he  becomes  our  Saviour  in 
the  fullest  sense,  taking  us  just  as  we  are, 
guiding  us  through  life,  and  transforming 
us  into  his  own  image. 

II.  <£>ur  llorb  anb  iflaster.  He  redeemed 
us  at  a  great  price,  and,  therefore,  we  be¬ 
long  to  him.  I  Cor.  6  :  20.  When  Jesus 
was  calling  his  disciples,  his  word  usually 
was,  “Follow  me.”  This  meant  that  those 
he  thus  called  must  give  up  all  other 
masters  and  all  other  service  and  devote 
themselves  completely  to  him.  He  made 
the  condition  of  discipleship  obedience  to 
his  commands,  saying:  “If  ye  love  me,  ye 
will  keep  my  commandments,”  John  14:  15; 
and  further,  “Ye  are  my  friends,  if  ye  do 
the  things  which  I  command  you.”  John 
15:  14.  This  means  that  the  Christian  be¬ 
longs  wholly  to  Christ.  He  is  to  take  com¬ 
mands  from  no  other.  His  obedience  should 
be  instant  and  unquestioning.  We  should 
never  ask  “Why?”  or  “How?”  but  always 
should  say  gladly,  “I  am  ready.”  The 


14 


jllanual  for 


test  of  all  our  life  should  be:  “Will  this 
please  Christ?  Is  this  what  he  would  have 
me  to  do?” 

III.  <^ur  helper.  When  we  begin  to 
follow  Christ  we  are  very  weak.  We  can¬ 
not  take  care  of  ourselves.  We  have 
neither  wisdom  nor  strength  for  it.  Christ 
himself  becomes  our  Helper.  He  is  always 
with  us  as  our  unseen  Companion.  He 
said,  “Lo,  I  am  with  you  always,  even  unto 
the  end  of  the  world.”  Matt.  28  : 20. 
When  we  know  that  Christ  loves  us  with 
infinite  love,  that  he  has  infinite  wisdom,  so 
that  he  can  make  no  mistake,  and  then  that 
he  has  omnipotent  power,  and  is  able  to  do 
what  he  will,  we  need  not  fear  that  in  any 
experience  of  our  lives  he  will  be  unable  to 
help  us. 

IV.  <£ur  Jfrienb.  Friend  is  a  very  sacred 
name.  We  like  to  have  human  friends. 
Christ  is  the  Friend  of  all  his  followers,  and 
he  wants  each  of  us  to  be  his  friend.  John 
15  :  14.  All  that  the  noblest  human  friend 
can  be  to  anyone,  Christ  is  to  us,  only  a 
thousand  times  more.  His  friendship  never 
fails  us.  Some  one  defines  a  friend  thus: 


Communicants'  Classes 


15 


“The  one  who  comes  in  when  all  the  world 
has  gone  out.”  And  this  is  exactly  true 
of  Christ.  A  friend  may  be  trusted ;  we 
may  trust  Christ  with  all  the  interests  of 
our  lives,  for  all  the  affairs  of  the  w^orld 
are  under  his  control.  John  16  :  33.  Then 
he  loves  us  with  an  infinite  love.  We 
need  not  be  afraid,  therefore,  to  commit 
ourselves  to  him  for  eternal  keeping. 
Jude,  v.  24. 

V.  ^ibbtser.  As  Jesus  grew  up 

from  childhood  to  maturity  he  faced  just 
such  problems,  and  experienced  just  such 
difficulties  as  come  into  our  lives.  Some 
of  them  were  in  different  form  from  ours; 
but  they  called  for  just  such  fights  and 
decisions  as  we  must  make.  He  met 
them  all  bravely  and  was  never  lowered 
by  them.  To-day  he  knows  perfectly 
what  our  struggles  and  temptations  mean; 
so  that  when  you  read  his  sayings  and 
confide  to  him  your  thoughts  you  have 
an  Adviser,  greater  than  any  man.  Heb. 
2  :  17,  18. 

These  five  points  suggest  a  little  of  what 
Christ  is  to  those  who  take  him  as  theirs. 


l6 


iflanual  to 


Whatever  our  experiences  may  be,  we  shall 
always  find  him  ready  to  help  us.  He  is 
our  Saviour.  He  is  our  Companion.  He 
is  our  Guide.  He  is  our  Burden-bearer. 
He  gives  wisdom  to  those  who  ask  him. 
He  strengthens  those  who  are  weak.  He 
will  bring  us  home  to  glory.  There  is  noth¬ 
ing  that  we  ever  can  need  in  all  the  common 
and  uncommon  days  of  our  lives  that  Christ 
is  unable  to  give  to  us  or  do  for  us.  But 
in  order  that  he  may  be  all  this  to  us  we 
must  accept  him  as  our  Lord  and  Master. 


Communicant*'  Cla**e* 


17 


1U**on  &too 

©Htjat  3t  3s  to  Jge  a  Christian 

WE  have  learned  what  Christ  is  to 
us — our  Saviour,  our  Lord  and 
Master,  our  Helper,  our  Friend. 
What  is  our  part  in  the  Christian  life? 
What  do  we  owe  Christ?  How  should  we 
relate  ourselves  to  him?  What  is  it  to 
be  a  Christian?  A  Christian  is  one  who 
believes  in  Christ  and  follows  him.  To  be 
a  Christian  one  must 

I.  l&noto  Cf)ri*t.  We  cannot  follow  him 
unless  we  know  something  about  him. 
How  can  we  know  Christ?  We  cannot 
meet  him  face  to  face  as  his  disciples  met 
him  when  he  was  on  earth  in  human  form. 
How  then  can  we  get  acquainted  with  him? 
We  may  learn  about  him  in  the  Scriptures. 
We  should  make  a  careful  study  of  the  four 
Gospels,  in  which  the  story  of  his  wonderful 
life  is  told.  We  should  study  these  Gospels 
until  we  are  familiar  with  all  that  is  told  in 
them  of  the  life  of  Jesus — his  words,  his 


i8 


Jflanual  for 


works,  his  character;  until  we  have  learned 
how  he  lived,  how  he  loved — his  patience, 
his  gentleness,  his  thoughtfulness,  his  un¬ 
selfishness,  his  great  self-sacrifice.  We 
must  learn  all  we  can  about  Christ. 

But  it  is  not  enough  to  know  about 
Christ — we  must  know  him.  Eph.  4  :  20, 
21.  It  is  possible  for  us  to  have  a  personal 
acquaintance  with  him.  He  says  that  he 
knows  his  own  and  his  own  know  him,  even 
as  the  Father  knows  him  and  he  knows 
the  Father.  John  10  :  14,  15.  Christ 
is  living  in  this  world  as  really,  to-day, 
through  the  Holy  Spirit,  as  he  lived,  in 
human  form,  in  the  days  when  his  first 
disciples  were  with  him.  We  should  yield 
all  our  life  to  the  Holy  Spirit.  Those  who 
let  the  Spirit  lead  them  become  God’s 
children.  Rom.  8  :  14.  The  Spirit  will 
also  reveal  to  them  the  things  of  Christ. 
John  16  :  12-15.  Thus  Christ  will  reveal 
himself  to  us  and  we  shall  come  to  know 
him  as  a  close  personal  Friend,  knowing 
no  other  friend  so  well,  so  intimately. 

II.  Habe  CfjriSt.  We  have  many  rea¬ 
sons  for  loving  him.  One  is,  because  he 


Communtrants'  Classed 


19 


loves  us.  I  John  4  :  19.  When  we  think 
of  the  great  sacrifice  he  made  for  our 
redemption,  we  cannot  doubt  his  love,  and 
our  hearts  should  go  out  to  him  in  deep 
affection.  Gal.  2  :  20. 

We  should  love  him  because  of  the 
excellence  of  his  character.  We  have 
human  friends  whom  we  love  because  of 
their  noble  qualities,  but  Christ  excels  in 
his  beauty  and  excellence  the  best  char¬ 
acters  that  ever  have  been  found  on  the 
earth.  He  is  worthy  of  our  deepest  love, 
our  highest  praise,  our  purest  devotion. 

We  should  love  him  because  only  thus 
can  we  become  like  him.  He  desires  that 
we  shall  grow  into  his  likeness,  and  we  can 
do  this  only  by  letting  his  love  fill  our  hearts 
and  purify  and  sweeten  them.  We  cannot 
be  Christians  at  all  unless  we  love  Christ. 
After  Peter  had  denied  his  Lord  he  could 
not  be  restored  to  his  lost  place  until  he 
could  say,  “Lord;  thou  knowest  that  I 
love  thee.”  John  21  :  16.  Only  as  love 
fills  our  hearts  and  transforms  our  lives  do 
we  have  the  beauty  of  Christ  upon  us. 

III.  Crufit  CfjriSt.  There  will  be  many 


20 


ittanual  for 


things  which  he  will  want  us  to  do,  the 
reasons  for  which  we  cannot  understand. 
But  we  do  not  need  to  know  the  reasons 
when  we  have  Christ’s  command.  He  is 
much  wiser  than  we  are.  He  has  sufficient 
reason  for  everything  he  bids  us  to  do  or  to 
suffer,  and  his  reason  should  satisfy  us. 
Sometimes  he  calls  us  to  give  up  things 
that  we  should  like  to  keep,  but  if  he  does 
this  he  knows  that  it  is  better  we  should 
do  so.  These  things  would  not  be  a 
blessing  to  us.  Sometimes  when  we  pray, 
he  refuses  us  the  things  we  ask  for,  but  he 
has  a  wise  reason  for  this,  and  we  should 
never  doubt  his  tender  care  for  us.  Some¬ 
times  he  leads  us  in  ways  which  seem  very 
strange  and  hard.  We  can  scarcely  think 
they  are  the  right  ways.  Yet,  knowing  that 
he  loves  us  as  he  does,  and  that  he  has  all 
wisdom,  we  need  never  doubt  for  a  moment 
that  the  way  he  wants  us  to  go  is  the  right 
way  and  leads  upward,  and  toward  our 
heavenly  home.  II  Cor.  4  :  17,  18. 

IV.  Christ.  He  makes  obedience 

a  necessary  quality  in  discipleship.  When 
he  was  on  the  earth  he  called  men  to  follow 


Communicants  Clares. 


21 


him,  which  meant  that  they  should  leave 
everything  and  go  with  him,  that  they 
should  obey  every  word  of  his.  “What¬ 
soever  he  saith  unto  you,  do  it,”  is  the 
word  always  for  a  Christian.  John  2  :  5. 
It  is  not  in  place  to  ask  “Why?”  when 
Christ  commands  us  to  do  anything.  Our 
obedience  should  be  prompt,  unquestioning, 
unreserved.  No  one  who  does  not  seek  to 
obey  Christ  can  claim  to  be  a  Christian. 
Nothing  else  we  may  do  will  please  him  if 
we  do  not  obey  him.  Matt.  7:21.  The 
spirit  of  true  obedience  to  the  Master  is 
well  expressed  in  the  refrain  of  a  familiar 
hymn : 

“I’ll  go  where  you  want  me  to  go,  dear  Lord, 
Over  mountain,  or  plain,  or  sea; 

I'll  say  what  you  want  me  to  say,  dear  Lord, 

I’ll  be  what  you  want  me  to  be." 


22 


Jflanual  for 


Hes&on  tPjree 

JOelps: — i$kan£  of  <£race 

IT  is  good  to  begin  well,  but  beginning  is 
not  all.  It  is  only  by  continuing  unto 
the  end  that  we  prove  ourselves  true 
disciples.  John  8  :  31.  We  start  as  little 
children,  but  we  are  to  grow  until  we  reach 
full  manhood.  We  need  divine  help  on  the 
way.  We  have  the  promise  of  it,  too — grace 
sufficient  for  every  experience.  II  Cor. 
12:  9.  But  how  can  we  get  it?  What 
helps  are  provided  for  us?  How  can  we 
get  heaven’s  strength  and  heaven’s  grace 
down  into  our  hearts  and  lives? 

I.  We  may  get  help  in  praper.  Every 
true  Christian  prays.  Acts  9:11.  The 
most  important  element  in  religion  is  com¬ 
munion  with  God.  Prayer  is  a  great  priv¬ 
ilege.  We  are  permitted  to  bring  all  our 
needs,  wants  and  desires  to  God,  and  to 
come  to  him  in  all  times  of  trouble,  tempta¬ 
tion,  or  trial.  Indeed,  the  true  Christian 
life  is  a  life  of  unbroken  fellowship  with 


Communitants.’  Clas&eg 


23 


God.  We  are  to  walk  with  him  as  one 
walks  with  a  loved  and  trusted  friend. 

To  go  out  into  the  world  any  day  without 
having  first  committed  ouselves  to  God  in 
prayer  is  a  perilous  thing.  Life  is  full  of 
dangers,  struggles,  temptations,  and  notone 
of  us  is  strong  enough  to  meet  these  ex¬ 
periences  alone.  Then  we  have  our  tasks, 
our  duties,  our  burdens,  our  perplexities, 
our  responsibilities — we  are  not  able  for 
these  things  unless  we  have  divine  help. 
Hence  we  should  begin  each  day  with 
prayer,  committing  ourselves  to  the  keeping 
of  Christ  and  invoking  his  guardianship, 
his  guidance,  his  help. 

At  the  close  of  the  day  we  should  go  to 
God  again  in  prayer,  with  thanks  for  the 
day’s  blessings,  with  confession  of  our  mis¬ 
takes  and  sins,  then  committing  ourselves 
to  the  divine  care  for  the  night.  Dan.  6  :  10. 

But  besides  these  and  other  regular 
seasons  of  prayer,  we  may  be  all  the  time 
in  the  spirit  of  prayer.  The  apostle  Paul 
counsels  us  to  continue  instant  in  prayer, 
and  to  pray  always.  I  Thess.  5:17. 
He  does  not  mean  that  we  shall  spend  all 


24 


jHanual  for 


our  time  on  our  knees,  but  that  while  at 
our  work,  or  in  our  walks,  or  wherever  we 
are,  we  shall  keep  so  near  to  Christ  that 
we  can  speak  to  him  at  any  moment  and 
get  his  help. 

II.  Qlfyt  is  another  of  the  helps  a 

Christian  needs.  The  Bible  is  God’s  word. 
It  tells  us  what  God  is  and  what  he  would 
have  us  do.  We  are  to  read  the  Bible  to 
know  of  the  divine  love  and  mercy,  and 
also  to  learn  the  divine  will  for  us.  The 
teachings  of  the  Bible  will  purify  our  lives. 
Ps.  1 19  :  11.  Our  hearts  are  like  bitter 
fountains,  and  the  words  of  Scripture  are 
sweet  spices  to  be  cast  into  these  fountains 
to  sweeten  them. 

The  Bible  should  be  our  constant  com¬ 
panion.  Prayer  alone  is  not  enough.  We 
need  the  Word  of  God  to  feed  us  just  as  we 
need  bread  for  the  hunger  of  our  bodies. 
Not  to  read  the  Bible  every  day  is  to  leave 
our  souls  to  hunger.  II  Tim.  3  :  16,  17. 

We  should  read  the  Bible  thoughtfully, 
pondering  its  words  to  know  their  meaning, 
and  then  letting  its  teachings  into  our  hearts 
and  lives.  Not  only  should  we  hear  the 


Communicants'  Classes 


25 


words  of  God,  but  we  should  also  obey 
them.  A  young  man  said  to  his  pastor  at 
the  close  of  the  year,  “I  have  gone  through 
the  Bible  five  times  this  year."  The  min¬ 
ister  quietly  asked  him,  "How  often  has  the 
Bible  gone  through  you  this  year?"  Jesus 
told  certain  people  that  the  reason  they 
hated  him  was  because  his  Word  did  not 
have  free  course  in  them.  John  8  :  37. 
Some  people  read  the  Bible  so  carelessly 
that  it  makes  no  impression  upon  them.  It 
should  be  read  thoughtfully,  every  word 
sinking  into  our  hearts  and  having  its 
effect  upon  our  lives  and  characters.  Ps. 
19  :  8,  9. 

III.  We  may  get  much  help  from  Cf)ri£= 
tian  frienbSfjtp.  Young  Christians  need  to 
be  very  careful  about  their  companions.  If 
they  take  as  their  friends  those  who  are  not 
Christ’s  friends,  those  who  are  profane  or 
worldly,  those  who  do  not  pray,  nor  read  the 
Bible,  nor  try  to  do  right,  the  influence  of 
such  companionships  will  be  very  harmful. 
They  should  rather  choose  for  their  friends 
those  who  are  also  Christ’s  friends,  those 
who  love  the  Bible  and  love  the  Church  and 


26 


iflanual  for 


strive  to  do  right.  The  influence  of  such 
friendships  upon  their  lives  will  be  purify¬ 
ing,  uplifting  and  inspiring.  Rom.  12  :  2. 

IV.  Much  help  can  be  gained  also  from 
having  goob  SurrounbingS.  As  far  as  possi¬ 
ble,  the  young  Christian  should  seek  to  have 
about  him  only  those  influences- that  will 
help  him.  A  good  home  is  a  great  blessing. 
Those  who  have  Christian  parents  and 
whose  homes  are  full  of  the  love  of  Christ, 
have  every  advantage.  It  is  easy  to  grow 
up  into  a  beautiful  life  in  such  an  atmos¬ 
phere.  It  is  not  possible  always,  however, 
to  make  all  of  one’s  surroundings  congenial 
and  spiritual.  We  cannot  make  our  own 
circumstances.  Sometimes  a  young  Chris¬ 
tian  finds  himself  the  only  follower  of  Christ 
in  his  family.  Sometimes  in  his  school,  or 
in  his  place  of  work  or  business,  he  is 
thrown  among  those  who  are  not  Christians. 
It  is  not  always  possible  to  control  the  in¬ 
fluences  which  surround  one’s  life.  So  far 
as  we  can  choose  for  ourselves,  we  should 
keep  the  atmosphere  of  our  lives  such  as 
will  promote  our  best  spiritual  growth. 
Then,  if  we  find  ourselves  amid  surround- 


Communicants'  Classes 


27 

ings  which  are  not  congenial  and  helpful, 
it  is  all  the  more  important  for  us  to  be 
loyal  and  true  in  our  own  hearts  and  lives. 
Dan.  1 : 8.  Opposition  should  make  us  the 
more  watchful,  the  more  earnest,  the  more 
diligent,  the  more  careful.  There  is  no 
place  in  which  a  Christian  cannot  be  true, 
for  God  has  promised  to  help  all  those  who 
are  faithful  to  him.  If  our  lives  are  cast 
in  places  where  we  must  meet  opposition, 
or  encounter  temptation,  we  should  be  all 
the  more  careful  to  be  faithful  and  true. 
No  one  can  do  us  harm  but  ourselves.  If 
we  keep  our  hearts  closed  against  tempta¬ 
tion  it  can  have  no  power  against  us.  I 
Cor.  10  :  13;  James  1  :  14. 

V.  There  is  help  in  Christian  toorfe. 
We  grow  by  activity.  A  child’s  body  is  de¬ 
veloped  and  strengthened  by  exercise.  All 
our  growth,  whether  of  mind  or  body,  comes 
through  activity.  The  object  of  study  in 
school  is  to  bring  out  the  powers  of  the 
mind.  The  Church  is  a  school,  Christ’s 
school.  We  enter  it  at  the  lowest  form, 
and  are  to  grow,  learning  our  lessons  and 
putting  them  in  practice.  For  example, 


2  8 


Manual  for 


patience  is  a  Christian  virtue.  Impatience 
is  not  Christlike.  But  we  cannot  get 
patience  by  merely  learning  how  beautiful 
it  is;  we  can  get  it  only  by  practicing  the 
lesson  day  after  day,  year  after  year.  The 
same  is  true  of  thoughtfulness,  kindness, 
contentment,  joyfulness,  and  all  Christian 
graces.  Only  by  practicing  them  can  we 
learn  them.  The  only  way  to  learn  to 
speak  for  Christ  is  to  begin  to  speak  for  him 
at  once,  confessing  him  before  the  world, 
and  then  continuing  in  this  duty  until 
we  have  learned  to  do  it  effectively  and 
well.  Phil.  3  :  13,  14. 

Even,’  young  Christian  should  at  once 
take  up  some  kind  of  work  for  Christ.  The 
boy  who  joined  the  church  last  week  should 
try  to  bring  another  boy  to  Sunday  school 
or  to  church  next  Sunday.  Luke  22  :  32. 
The  girl  who  has  given  herself  to  Christ 
should  begin  at  once  to  practice  kindness, 
thoughtfulness,  and  all  beautiful  things, 
first  at  home,  then  among  her  friends  and 
wherever  she  goes.  Idleness  is  full  of 
danger,  because  it  affords  opportunity  for 
all  manner  of  temptation.  The  busy 


Communicants’  Classes 


29 


person  is  the  safe  one.  There  is  no 
better  help  in  Christian  life  than  to  be 
always  active — first  in  one’s  common 
duties,  and  then  in  special  work  for 
Christ.  Eph.  6  :  n-18. 


30 


jHanual  for 


Hesson  Jfour 

®nite  toitf)  ttje  Cfjurd)  ? 

YOUNG  Christians  sometimes  ask 
whether  it  is  necessary  for  them  to 
unite  with  the  Church,  or  whether 
they  cannot  serve  Christ  as  faithfully  and 
acceptably  without  taking  this  step.  There 
are  several  important  reasons  why  those 
who  love  Christ  and  have  entered  his  serv¬ 
ice  should  take  their  places  openly  before 
the  world.  Christians  should  unite  with 
the  Church,  because: 

I.  CftrtSt  requires  it.  When  we  turn  to 
the  Gospels  we  find  that  all  Christ’s  invita¬ 
tions  to  men  required  them  to  come  out 
before  their  friends  and  before  the  world 
and  join  his  company.  He  invited  people 
to  come  to  him.  Matt,  n  :  28.  This 
implied  their  being  known  as  belonging 
among  his  disciples.  He  asked  them  to 
follow  him,  meaning  that  they  should 
accept  him  as  their  Teacher  and  Master, 
and  begin  to  do  what  he  commanded  them 


Communicants*  Classes 


31 


to  do.  Matt.  16  :  24.  They  could  not  obey 
him  without  letting  people  know  that  they 
believed  in  him  and  had  taken  him  as  their 
Guide  and  Friend.  He  never  gave  any  of 
his  disciples  leave  to  keep  their  discipleship 
quiet  for  a  while,  but  expected  them  all  to 
make  it  known  at  once. 

Jesus  required  public  confession,  saying: 
“Every  one  therefore  who  shall  confess  me 
before  men,  him  will  I  also  confess  before 
my  Father  who  is  in  heaven.  But  who¬ 
soever  shall  deny  me  before  men,  him  will 
I  also  deny  before  my  Father  who  is  in 
heaven.”  Matt.  10  :  32,  33.  Thus  it  ap¬ 
pears  that  public  confession  of  Christ  is  a 
large  part  of  saving  faith.  Paul  also  has  a 
very  strong  word  on  the  subject:  “If  thou 
shalt  confess  with  thy  mouth  Jesus  as  Lord, 
and  shalt  believe  in  thy  heart  that  God 
raised  him  from  the  dead,  thou  shalt  be 
saved:  for  with  the  heart  man  believeth 
unto  righteousness;  and  with  the  mouth 
confession  is  made  unto  salvation.”  Rom. 
10  :  9,  10.  Of  course,  one  may  confess 
Christ  in  quiet,  personal  ways,  by  loyalty 
of  heart  and  obedience  in  life,  but  there  is 


32 


Manual  for 


no  way  which  seems  entirely  to  fulfill  the 
condition  of  our  Lord’s  words  without  our 
uniting  with  the  Church,  which  represents 
Christ’s  friends.  Nicodemus  and  Joseph 
were  secret  disciples  for  a  while,  but  there 
was  a  day  when  they  came  out  boldly — 
they  could  not  do  otherwise — and  confessed 
their  Lord  before  the  whole  world.  John 
19  :  38,  39- 

II.  St  fis  nrcessarp  for  the  receiving  of  tfje 
fullest  blessing.  So  long  as  we  love  Christ 
and  yet  keep  our  friendship  for  him  secret 
from  the  world,  we  cannot  receive  the  full 
comfort  which  comes  to  those  who  have 
openly  taken  their  place  on  his  side.  Secret 
discipleship  may  be  sincere  and  true,  but  it 
never  quite  satisfies  the  heart.  There  is 
always  something  kept  back,  something 
hidden  from  the  world  which  ought  to  be 
told  out.  Unconfessed  allegiance  to  our 
Saviour  does  not  bring  to  us  the  full,  rich 
comfort  which  comes  from  open  declaration 
of  our  love  for  him.  The  woman  who 
touched  the  hem  of  Jesus’  garment  and  then 
tried  to  steal  away  unnoticed,  without  mak¬ 
ing  herself  known,  had  received  only  part  of 


Communicants’  Classes 


33 


the  blessing,  and  Jesus  required  her  to  come 
forward  and  tell  her  whole  story,  and  then 
she  went  away  with  a  full,  rich  blessing. 
Mark  5  :  25-34. 

III.  3ft  is  necessarp  for  tfje  influence  of 
OUr  example.  So  long  as  persons  follow  Christ 
only  secretly,  the  world  does  not  know 
where  they  stand.  They  may  be  true  to 
their  Master  in  their  own  hearts,  and  may 
be  fruitful  in  their  love  and  loyal  in  all  their 
personal  relations  to  him.  But  they  have 
not  declared  themselves  his  friends  before 
men,  and  are  supposed  by  the  world  still  to 
be  among  his  enemies.  There  are  but  two 
parties:  those  who  are  on  Christ’s  side  and 
those  who  are  against  him.  Matt.  12  :  30. 
All  who  have  not  openly  and  publicly  taken 
their  place  among  his  friends  are  classed 
by  the  world  as  against  him.  Their  secret 
friendship  places  them  in  a  false  position; 
in  a  position  dishonoring  to  their  Master,  in 
which  they  withhold  from  him  the  strong 
witness  which  they  ought  to  give  to  him. 

IV.  <0nlp  tljuS  can  toe  bo  our  full  part  in 
tlje  toork  of  CfjriSt.  So  long  as  we  follow 
Christ  only  secretly,  we  are  not  in  a  position 


34 


Jtenual  (or 


to  do  much  in  bringing  other  persons  to 
Christ,  in  adding  to  the  power  of  the.Church, 
or  in  advancing  the  kingdom  of  God. 
Every  faithful  new  member  in  a  church  adds 
to  the  strength  of  the  church  in  the  com¬ 
munity  and  to  the  influence  of  righteousness 
in  the  world.  Being  saved  is  not  all  of  sal¬ 
vation;  it  is  essential  that  those  who  are 
saved  shall  become  earnest  helpers  in  saving 
others.  This  we  can  do  effectively  only  by 
identifying  ourselves  with  the  visible 
Church.  Acts  2  :  46,  47. 

V.  Wit  tlju£  beat  fjelp  anb  safeguarb  our 
Ohm  llbesi.  Committing  ourselves  publicly 
to  Christ  gives  us  a  new  motive  for  faithful¬ 
ness.  No  true  man  wants  to  fail  in  his 
vows  and  promises  before  other  men.  The 
lofty  ideal  of  the  Church  keeps  us  intent  on 
our  duty  and  calls  us  ever  to  do  our  best. 
Then  association  with  other  good  people 
helps  us,  quickens  us,  and  inspires  what¬ 
ever  is  good  in  us.  In  climbing  mountains, 
tourists  are  tied  together,  so  that  if  one 
slips  he  may  be  held  up  by  the  others.  It 
is  very  much  easier  to  be  a  Christian  in 
happy  church  fellowship  than  when  one  is 


Communicants'  Classes 


35 


all  alone.  In  1879,  a  young  Boston  phy¬ 
sician  who  had  scaled  the  Matterhorn,  in¬ 
sisted,  during  the  descent,  on  loosening 
himself  from  the  rope  that  united  him  to 
his  companions.  He  had  hardly  done  so 
when  he  made  a  false  step,  lost  his  footing, 
glided  rapidly  down  the  steep  icy  slope, 
and  the  next  moment  disappeared  over  the 
precipice. 

VI.  gbobe  all,  ft  bulp  tumors  Cfjrist. 

Our  Saviour  feels  very  close  to  those  who 
believe  in  him.  He  calls  himself  the 
Bridegroom.  Matt.  9  :  15.  The  Church, 
in  turn  is  called  the  Bride.  Rev.  22  :  17. 
Therefore  Christ  is  closely  identified  with 
his  Church  and  so  are  his  people  with  each 
other.  But  as  if  this  were  not  close  enough, ' 
the  Church  is  called  his  body.  I  Cor.  12 :  27. 
The  head  of  this  body  is  Christ.  Eph.  5 :  23. 
From  the  earliest  times,  therefore,  the 
children  of  God  have  united  into  a  body, 
for  worship,  fellowship  and  service.  That 
body  is  the  Church. 


36 


iHanual  for 


Henson  Jfibe 

JSutieS  of  a  Cfjurcfj  ifkmticr 

WHEN  we  become  members  of  the 
Church,  there  are  certain  duties 
which  we  assume.  We  often  hear 
persons  speak  of  “belonging  to  the  Church.” 
The  expression  is  suggestive.  If  we  belong 
to  the  Church  we  have  an  interest  in  it,  we 
owe  it  something,  and  it  has  claims  upon  us. 
It  is  the  duty  of  a  church  member 
I.  Co  fjonot  Cfjritft  as  fjt'S  £s>atnour  anb 
Horb.  We  must,  therefore,  do  much  more 
than  merely  take  our  place  as  church  mem¬ 
bers  and  come  now  and  then  to  the  Lord’s 
table.  From  the  day  of  our  public  con¬ 
fession  we  are  recognized  as  belonging  to 
Christ,  and  wherever  we  go  we  represent 
Christ.  This  puts  upon  us  a  sacred  re¬ 
sponsibility.  We  bear  Christ’s  name.  We 
stand  for  him  among  men.  The  world  ex¬ 
pects  to  find  in  us  the  beauty  of  a  Christian 
life.  Eph.  2  :  io.  Our  witness  must  be 
consistent  and  faithful,  not  merely  in  the 


Communicants  Clatfsctf 


37 


church  of  which  we  are  members,  but 
quite  as  much  outside,  among  men.  Every¬ 
thing  we  do,  every  word  we  speak,  every 
manifestation  of  our  spirit  in  disposition  or 
conduct,  either  honors  Christ  and  makes 
him  more  glorious  in  the  world,  or  dishonors 
him  and  puts  a  stain  on  his  name,  which 
we  bear.  II  Cor.  3:3.  A  church  member 
must,  therefore,  in  all  things,  small  and 
great,  live  a  life  worthy  and  true,  a  life 
that  will  please  Christ  and  never  bring 
reproach  upon  his  Church. 

II.  Co  tic  conscientious  in  attendance  upon 
tfje  cfjurcfj  SerbiceS.  He  needs  this  for  his 
own  sake,  for  only  those  who  use  the  means 
of  grace  that  the  Church  provides  can  grow 
in  Christian  life.  He  needs  the  instruction 
which  he  finds  in  the  services  of  the  Church. 
He  needs  the  influence  of  Christian  fellow¬ 
ship  and  friendship.  Good  people  are  a 
means  of  grace  to  us.  One  coal  will  not 
burn  alone  on  the  grate,  but  when  two 
or  more  are  laid  together,  one  kindles  the 
other.  He  needs  the  blessing  which  comes 
through  Christian  worship,  when  hearts 
unite  in  their  praise  and  prayer.  Those 


3S 


iflanual  for 


who  continue  faithful  in  their  attendance 
upon  the  ordinances  of  divine  worship  are 
not  likely  to  drift  away  from  Christ,  while 
those  who  grow  careless  in  the  habit  of 
church  attendance  are  apt  to  lose  their  in¬ 
terest,  and  perhaps,  in  the  end,  fall  away 
from  their  confession  and  from  their  Sav¬ 
iour.  Heb.  io  :  25. 

III.  Zo  bo  f ns  part  tn  tfce  support  of  tf je 
Cfyurcf).  There  are  necessary  expenses  in 
even*  church  which  all  the  members  should 
share  according  to  their  ability.  Even  the 
poorest  person  can  do  something.  The 
widow  brought  her  two  mites  and  Jesus 
commended  her  gift  as  the  largest  cast  that 
day  into  the  treasury.  Giving  should  not 
be  regarded  as  a  burden — it  is  a  privilege, 
an  opportunity.  Acts  20  :  35.  It  is  as 
important  that  we  learn  to  give  as  that  we 
learn  to  pray.  Not  to  give  is  to  cultivate 
selfishness,  which  produces  spiritual  death. 
We  must  give  if  we  would  live.  Not  to 
give  is  to  rob  God,  to  whom  we  owe  our 
offerings.  Not  to  give  is  to  miss  blessing 
which  comes  always  to  those  who  give  in 
the  right  spirit.  Every  young  Christian 


Communicant#'  €las#e# 


39 


should  begin  to  give  as  soon  as  he  unites 
with  the  Church.  He  should  give  regularly, 
at  definite  times.  He  should  give  accord¬ 
ing  to  what  he  has — as  the  Lord  hath  pros¬ 
pered  him.  He  should  give  cheerfully,  for 
the  Lord  loveth  a  cheerful  giver.  II  Cor. 
9  :  7- 

IV.  take  I n#  part  m  all  tfje  toork  of  tfje 
Cjmrcfj.  We  are  not  saved  merely  to  sit 
still  and  enjoy  ourselves  as  Christians.  We 
are  saved  to  serve.  All  those  who  have 
found  Christ  are  to  do  what  they  can  to 
bring  others  to  Christ.  The  Sunday  school 
affords  opportunities  for  young  Christians 
to  study  the  Bible,  and  to  bring  it  into  the 
lives  of  others.  The  Christian  Endeavor 
Society  is  meant  to  train  them  to  take 
part  in  meetings.  There  are  many  ways, 
also,  in  which  they  can  begin  at  once  to 
do  the  work  of  Christ.  They  can  invite 
others  to  attend  the  church  services.  Even 
a  child  Christian  may  bring  another  child, 
or  perhaps  a  mother  or  father, [Mor  some 
other  older  person.  They  can  do  the 
deeds  of  love  which  the  Master  expects  of 
all  his  followers. 


I 


40 


Jtlanual  for 


V.  3To  Itoe  out  tfje  Spirit  of  Cfjrfet  m  fj iti 
relations  tottfj  t )is>  fellotu  cfjurdj  memfcertf. 

The  members  of  a  church  should  bear  each 
other’s  burdens,  rejoice  in  each  other’s  joys, 
and  weep  with  each  other’s  sorrows.  Rom. 

12  :  15.  They  should  be  patient,  kind, 
charitable,  helpful,  the  one  to  the  other. 
Jesus  made  the  badge  of  discipleship  to  be 
the  showing  of  love  to  fellow  Christians. 
“A  new  commmandment  I  give  unto  you, 
that  ye  love  one  another;  even  as  I  have 
loved  you,  that  ye  also  love  one  another.  By 
this  shall  all  men  know  that  ye  are  my  disci¬ 
ples,  if  ye  have  love  one  to  another.”  John 

13  :  34>  35-  Those  who  love  Christ  and  are 
bound  together  in  the  same  Christian  house¬ 
hold  are  their  brothers’  keepers  in  a  peculiar 
way.  They  should  guard  each  other’s 
good  name  and  seek  the  advancing  of  each 
other’s  interests  in  all  ways. 

VI.  Ko  fcmlb  up  tf )t  cfjurcf)  of  tofjtd)  \ je  in 
a  m*mt)cr.  This  he  can  do  not  only  by 
giving  to  its  support  as  generously  as  he  is 
able,  and  by  showing  love  to  his  fellow 
members,  but  also  by  striving  to  bring 
others  into  the  church.  If  all  the  members 


Cornmunuantg’  Clastfetf 


41 


are  enthusiastic  in  their  love  for  their 
church,  they  can  do  a  great  deal  to  interest 
others  in  it.  The  true  idea  of  Christian  life 
is  that  everyone  who  loves  Christ  shall  be 
a  personal  evangelist.  Andrew  and  John, 
when  they  had  found  Jesus,  brought  their 
brothers,  and  Philip  brought  his  friend  Na¬ 
thanael.  Upon  every  member  of  thechurch 
rests  part  of  the  responsibility  for  preaching 
the  gospel  to  every  creature.  It  is  not 
enough  for  us  to  work  for  the  church  to 
which  we  belong;  we  should  have  the  true 
missionary  spirit,  beginning  at  home,  but 
reaching  out  to  the  ends  of  the  earth. 
Young  Christians  cannot  too  soon  begin  to 
learn  about  the  work  of  missions  and  to  do 
what  they  can  to  help  in  this  work. 

We  owe  more  to  the  church  than  we  can 
ever  repay;  we  should  not  withhold  from  it 
our  best  love  and  service.  Our  devotion  to 
the  church  should  never  grow  cold  nor 
should  our  diligence  in  its  work  slacken. 
Our  enlistment  is  for  life,  and  while  we  live 
nothing  should  woo  us  away  from  our  alle¬ 
giance  or  weaken  our  loyalty. ' 


42 


iHanual  for 


lUfitfon  ££>tx 

€t)e  TLavb’si  Puppet 

THE  sacraments  of  the  Christian  Church 
are  Baptism  and  the  Lord’s  Supper. 
Both  were  appointed  by  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  to  be  perpetually  observed  by 
his  Church.  Baptism  as  a  sacrament  is  the 
sign  and  seal  of  our  reception  into  the 
household  of  faith.  It  implies  confession  of 
sin  and  unworthiness,  and  the  need  of  cleans¬ 
ing,  and  the  acceptance  of  Jesus  Christ  as 
our  only  Saviour,  of  God  as  our  Father,  of 
the  Holy  Spirit  as  our  Guide,  and  of  other 
Christians  as  our  brethren  in  the  Lord.  It 
is  to  be  administered  to  little  children,  for 
Christ  declared  that  of  such  is  the  kingdom 
of  heaven.  It  is  also  to  be  universally 
observed  by  the  Church,  for  our  Lord  com¬ 
manded  all  nations  to  be  baptized.  For 
Christians,  personally,  it  is  the  sign  of  their 
open  and  professed  engagement  to  be 
wholly  and  only  the  Lord’s.  If,  therefore, 
we  were  not  baptized  in  earlier  childhood, 


Communicants'  Classes 


43 


the  time  is  now.  The  other  sacrament 
is  the  Lord’s  Supper.  To  this  the  young 
Christian  is  admitted  as  soon  as  he  takes  his 
place  in  the  Church  as  a  full  member.  Con¬ 
cerning  the  Lord’s  Supper,  it  is  to  be  said: 

I.  It  is  a  feast  of  memorial.  It  was  insti¬ 
tuted  by  the  Lord  himself,  on  the  night  of  his 
betrayal.  "He  took  bread,  and  when  he  had 
given  thanks,  he  brake  it,  and  gave  to  them, 
saying,  This  is  my  body  which  is  given  for 
you :  this  do  in  remembrance  of  me.  And  the 
cup  in  like  manner  after  supper,  saying,  This 
cup  is  the  new  covenant  in  my  blood,  even 
that  which  is  poured  out  for  you.”  Luke  22 : 
19,  20.  Jesus  did  not  want  to  be  forgotten 
by  his  friends,  so  he  gave  them  a  feast  to 
keep  himself  in  their  memory,  that  in  the 
world  of  care  and  toil  and  struggle  they 
might  not  forget  him.  This  was  necessary 
also  for  their  own  faithfulness,  for  if  we 
let  Christ  drop  out  of  our  minds  we  shall 
soon  drift  away  from  him.  It  is  to  be 
noticed  that  the  Lord’s  Supper  is  meant 
especially  to  keep  Christ’s  suffering  and 
death  in  mind.  This  is  because  it  was  by 
his  offering  of  himself  for  us  that  we  are 


44 


Jftanual  for 


redeemed.  We  are  never  to  forget  that 
Jesus  died  for  us. 

II.  It  is  also  a  Communion.  Jesus  and 
his  disciples  sat  at  a  table  and  communed. 
Eating  together  in  such  a  manner  implies 
very  close  intimacy.  When  we  come  to 
Christ’s  table,  we  are  privileged,  first  of  all, 
to  have  fellowship  with  him.  Those  who 
sat  at  the  first  Communion  were  thus 
acknowledged  to  be  his  friends,  and  were 
made  partakers  of  great  privileges.  John 
15  :  15.  They  that  now  receive  the  bread 
and  wine  of  the  Lord’s  Supper,  with  peni¬ 
tent,  humble  and  trusting  hearts,  receive 
similar  precious  and  divine  gifts.  They 
feed  upon  Christ  by  faith,  have  their  union 
with  him  confirmed,  are  strengthened 
against  sin,  encouraged  and  quickened  in 
duty,  inspired  with  new  love  and  zeal, 
and  have  peace  of  conscience  and  comfort¬ 
able  hopes  of  eternal  life.  The  bread  of 
the  Supper  is  the  symbol  of  Christ  as  their 
life,  strength  and  assured  hope;  the  cup 
is  the  sign  to  them  of  the  forgiveness  of 
sins  and  of  the  divine  favor.  Christ  wants 
us  to  commune  with  him  at  his  table.  Any- 


Communicants’  Classes 


45 


thing  that  separates  us  from  Christ  hinders 
communion.  If  we  cherish  any  sin  in  our 
hearts,  any  disbelief,  any  distrust,  we  can¬ 
not  get  close  to  Christ.  We  should  put 
away  all  sin  by  sincere  repentance.  I  Cor.* 
II  :  27,  28.  We  should  talk  to  Christ, 
telling  him  our  desires,  unburdening  our 
hearts,  speaking  to  him  of  our  love,  and 
then  of  our  failures  and  mistakes,  of  our 
weakness  and  proneness  to  go  astray,  cast¬ 
ing  ourselves  in  simple  faith  upon  his  love 
and  strength. 

The  Lord’s  Supper  is  also  meant  to  be  a 
communion  of  saints,  a  communion  between 
those  who  sit  together  at  the  table.  Any¬ 
thing  that  separates  us  from  another 
hinders  this  communion.  All  bitterness, 
all  unkindly  feeling,  should  be  put  away,  as 
we  take  our  place  side  by  side  and  with  the 
Master.  It  should  be  a  time  for  mutual 
forgiveness,  if  one  has  wronged  another,  if 
one  holds  a  grudge  against  another.  We 
should  meet  together  as  one  family,  heart 
touching  heart,  and  life  flowing  into  life. 
Eph.  4  :  4,  5. 

III.  It  is  also  an  act  of  Consecration. 


46 


iflanual  for 


The  word  sacrament  primarily  means  an 
oath.  In  Rome,  it  was  the  soldier’s  oath  to 
be  loyal  to  his  king  and  to  his  country.  In 
coming  to  the  Communion,  we  avow  our 
devotion  to  Christ  and  pledge  ourselves  to 
be  faithful  to  him  while  we  live.  It  is  not 
enough  to  be  true  to  Christ  and  merely  to 
confess  him  at  his  table;  we  must  continue 
to  confess  him  also  when  we  go  back  into 
the  world  again — in  our  homes,  in  our  places 
of  work  and  duty,  in  our  pleasures  and 
amusements,  in  all  our  contacts  with  people 
outside.  We  pledge  ourselves  to  be  his 
friends  and  his  followers  wherever  we  go, 
as  long  as  we  live. 

IV.  It  is  meant  to  be  a  Sample  of  all  our 
Cf)ri£ttan  life.  We  are  to  think  of  Christ 
when  we  sit  at  his  table  and  receive  the 
memorials  of  his  love  and  sacrifice.  But  we 
should  continue  our  remembrance  of  him 
when  we  go  out  into  the  world.  If  we 
would  only  learn  to  remember  Christ  al¬ 
ways,  to  keep  him  always  in  mind,  it  would 
make  our  lives  very  beautiful.  We  cannot 
do  wrong  things  when  thinking  about  our 
Saviour.  We  cannot  speak  the  angry  word 


Communicants'  Classes 


47 


nor  do  the  unholy  thing;  we  cannot  tell  a 
lie,  nor  be  dishonest  in  any  transaction, 
while  remembering  Christ.  If  we  but  keep 
him  always  in  our  thought  it  will  hold  us 
close  to  him,  it  will  make  our  lives  like  his, 
and  it  will  transform  us  into  his  beauty. 

How  should  we  come  to  the  Lord’s  table? 
We  should  come  tfjougfjtfullp,  knowing 
what  we  are  doing.  We  should  come 
penitently,  confessing  our  sins  and  putting 
them  out  of  our  life  forever.  We  should 
come  trustingly,  taking  Christ  into  our 
hearts  and  casting  all  the  burdens  of  our 
lives  upon  him.  We  should  come  in  tf )C 
Spirit  of  consecration,  presenting  ourselves 
as  living  sacrifices  for  his  use  and  service. 
We  should  come  glably,  for  the  Lord’s  Sup¬ 
per  is  a  feast  of  gladness.  Christ  drained 
the  cup  of  its  bitterness  and  then  filled  it 
with  blessings  for  us.  We  should  come  with 
lohe,  love  to  Christ  and  love  to  all  about  us. 
Then  we  should  go  forth  from  the  Com¬ 
munion  to  serve,  to  do  Christ’s  work  in  the 
world,  to  win  others  to  him,  to  be  com¬ 
forters  of  the  world’s  sorrow  and  helpers 
of  the  world’s  needs. 


(Questions  anb  Suggestions 


lesson  ©ne 

1.  Why  should  boys  and  girls  think  of  this 

personal  relation  to  Christ? 

2.  Name  four  things  that  Christ  is  to  us. 

3.  What  does  the  need  of  a  Saviour  imply? 

4.  Tell  what  Christ  did  to  save  us. 

5.  Who  is  our  present  Helper  to  keep  us  safe? 

6.  What  is  our  own  part  in  our  salvation? 

7.  What  did  Jesus  mean  by  saying,  “Follow 

me”? 

8.  Mention  three  things  whereby  Christ  is  a  sure 

Helper. 

9.  How  does  the  definition  of  a  friend  apply  to 

Jesus? 

10.  What  reason  have  we  to  look  to  Christ  as  our 

Adviser? 

11.  Of  the  things  that  Christ  is  to  us,  which  one 

includes  all  the  rest,  and  why? 

Memory  Work:  Matt.  1  :  2 1 ;  John  1  :  29;  I 
John  1  :  9.  Read  all  other  passages  mentioned  in 
the  lesson. 

lUsson  Ctoo 

Outline  the  previous  lesson  and  repeat  the  memory 
verses.  This  is  the  briefest  lesson  in  the  manual. 
You  might  find  time  to  think  of  and  write  some¬ 
thing  about  a  man  or  a  woman  you  know,  or  of  whom 
you  have  read  either  in  the  Bible  or  elsewhere,  who 


50 


(Question*  anti  &uggestu>ntf 


seems  to  show  the  marks  of  a  Christian  that  are 
mentioned  in  this  lesson.  Point  out  those  marks  if 
you  write. 

1.  Mention  the  four  things  that  mark  a  Christian. 

2.  From  what  sources  can  we  learn  of  Christ? 

3.  How  may  we  become  personally  acquainted 

with  him? 

4.  Give  three  reasons  why  we  should  love  him. 

5.  What  reason  have  we  to  trust  him? 

6.  Why  is  obedience  absolutely  necessary? 

7.  How  does  the  call  for  obedience  apply  to  your 

own  life? 

Memory  Work:  I  John  4  :  19;  John  10  :  14,  15. 
Read  all  other  passages  mentioned  in  the  lesson, 
and  notice  why  they  were  spoken  or  written. 

Hefifion  ®fjr tt 

Recall  in  your  mind  what  one  thing  appealed  to 
you  most  in  the  first  lesson;  and  also  one  thing  in 
the  second  lesson;  and  see  whether  it  has  meant 
anything  to  you  in  your  actual  living. 

1.  Name  five  “means  of  grace.” 

2.  Why  is  communion  with  God  the  most  im¬ 

portant? 

3.  Give  a  reason  for  praying  both  at  the  opening 

and  at  the  close  of  day. 

4.  What  is  meant  by  continuing  in  prayer? 

5.  Why  should  we  also  make  use  of  the  Bible? 

6.  What  has  God’s  Word  to  do  with  our  lives, 

and  what  have  our  lives  to  do  with  it? 


<&ues>ttott£  anb  ibuggegtiong 


51 


7.  What  difference  do  companions  make? 

8.  When  thrown  among  bad  companions  and 

scenes,  what  then? 

9.  Give  all  the  reasons  you  can  think  of  for 

starting  Christian  work  at  once. 

10.  Mention  some  work  you  might  personally  do. 

Memory  Work:  Ps.  119  :  II;  I  Cor.  10  :  13. 
Read  John  1  :  40-45. 

Xtsson  jfour 

Give  one  illustration  for  each  of  the  five  things 
mentioned  in  the  previous  lesson  as  helpful  in  the 
Christian  life;  and  freely  discuss  in  class  the  subject 
of  mastering  one’s  environment. 

1.  State  the  reasons  given  for  uniting  with  the 

Church. 

2.  In  what  two  ways  did  Christ  show  he  desired 

open  allegiance? 

3.  Tell  of  Nicodemus  as  a  secret  and  as  a  known 

disciple. 

4.  From  an  actual  incident,  show  that  full  blessing 

requires  open  confession. 

5.  Show  the  falsity  of  the  secret  follower. 

6.  What  positive  side  of  life  is  hindered  by  non¬ 

confession? 

7.  Note  the  effect  of  public  commitment  upon 

ourselves. 

8.  Give  the  names  that  suggest  Christ’s  relation 

to  the  Church  and  suggest  their  meaning. 

9.  Discuss  the  arguments  that  are  sometimes  made 

against  uniting  with  a  church. 


52 


Questions  anb  gmggeations. 


Memory  Work  :  Matt,  io  :  3 2,  33;  Acts  2  :  47, 
latter  part.  Read  John  3  :  i,  2;  7  :  50-53;  19  :  39. 

XetfSon  Jftb* 

Not  a  member  of  this  class  should  unite  with  the 
Church  except  from  his  own  free  choice.  Uniting 
with  the  Church  saves  nobody.  But  it  is  a  true 
expression  of  our  own  faith  in  Jesus  Christ  as  our 
personal  Saviour  and  of  our  desire  to  serve  him  in 
company  with  others.  This  lesson  suggests  what 
we  should  gladly  be  and  do  as  members  of  the 
Church.  While  you  study  it,  pray  that  God  may 
guide  you  in  the  right  way.  You  belong  to  him. 
Are  you  willing  to  be  loyal  to  him,  and  to  take  part 
in  his  work  in  the  world  ? 

1.  What  is  the  supreme  quality  of  a  church 

member? 

2.  Mention  three  benefits  that  come  from  church 

attendance. 

3.  Why,  how  and  when  should  we  give? 

4.  Mention  the  various  church  activities,  and 

consider  a  place  for  yourself. 

5.  How'  does  it  help  to  be  Christians  together? 

6.  Howr  does  the  Great  Commandment  affect  us 

at  home? 

7.  How  is  the  Church  a  channel  for  home  and 

foreign  mission  wrork? 

8.  If  our  Saviour  bought  us  with  a  price,  what 

follows? 


<gue£tton£  anb  Suggestions 


53 


Memory  Work  :  Matt.  5:16;  I  Cor.  16  :  2; 
Matt.  28  :  18-20. 

Xrsfion  Ss>ix 

1.  What  does  baptism  mean,  and  why  should 

children  be  baptized? 

2.  What  relation  has  personal  uniting  with  the 

Church  with  baptism? 

3.  How  was  the  Lord’s  Supper  instituted? 

4.  In  what  way  is  it  a  memorial? 

5.  Who  is  our  host  at  Communion,  and  how  is 

fellowship  strengthened? 

6.  What  do  the  bread  and  the  wine  signify? 

7.  Show  how  a  sacrament  involves  consecration. 

8.  What  bearing  has  this  Communion  upon  our 

everyday  life? 

9.  Suggest  in  what  frame  of  mind  we  should  sit 

at  the  Lord’s  table. 

10.  Who  are  invited  to  the  Lord’s  Supper? 

Read  Acts  16  :  25-33;  Matt.  26  :  26-28;  I  Cor. 
11  :  23-28. 

Essapg  anb  Examination 

Within  the  series  of  questions,  or  appended  to 
them,  a  few  topics  have  already  been  proposed. 
The  following  are  also  offered,  so  that  the  students 
may  have  a  more  liberal  choice: 

1.  Simon  Peter  without  and  with  Christ’s  help. 

2.  How  to  get  most  out  of  the  Bible. 

3.  The  class  member’s  own  way  of  praying. 

4.  The  meaning  of  loyalty  to  Christ. 

5.  Jesus  as  a  personal  Friend. 


^Princeton  Theological 

1  1012  O' 


Seminary  Libraries 


379  4526 


DATE  DUE 


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